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Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin
That is not true. The preparation for a 2 year old sale is almost identical to the way they would prepare a horse for a race. They train the horses exactly the same way that they would prepare him if they were going to run him and try to win first-time out.
For the consignor, the preview( the under-tack workout for prospective buyers) is like a regular race. The consignor prepares the horse so that they will peak on the preview day. The faster the works at the preview, the more money the horse will go for. In addition, the consignor has all the same concerns as a trainer preparing a horse to run. Both the trainer and the consignor have to walk the fine line of working the horse hard to enough to get it ready for a peak performance, but not working the horse so hard that the horse will get injured. If a consignor gets a horse to work a quarter of mile in :21 1/5 at the preivew, that won't do the consignor any good if the horse doesn't come out of the work in one piece. Even if the horse works great, nobody will pay top dollar if the horse comes out of the work with an injury. A trainer preparing a 2 year old to race has the same concerns. It does him no good for the horse to win has debut by 5 lengths if the horse is going to come out of the race hurt and need 6 months off.
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As long as any injury (bucked shins etc) shows up after the sale the seller is only concerned with 1 fast workout. Many top trainers have told me that sale 2yo's are often poor propsects because they are so rushed and need several months off after the sales. The trainer preparing a baby to race is not only looking to the debut but to races beyond. They want to win, but they also want to teach the horse, to help him develop. They want to have a horse left the next day and the next week. The seller at the 2yo sale wants the fast work and wants to sell him before any issues occur. They don't have that "allowance in the next condition book" or "the stake at the end of the meet" in mind.
I receive several catalogs a year from vaious partnerships. They cost thousands to produce. I get gorgeous photos, pedigree analysis and comments from top trainers. I also get notes from the general manager saying "Filly X is currently at Aiken, recovering from bucked shins..." proudly offered a $XXX/share."